PANAJI
Goa’s dengue surge is ebbing with cases now showing in migrant ghettos in Vasco, Chimbel, parts of Candolim and mostly around construction sites but health officials are keeping their fingers crossed as the fresh showers as the monsoon retreats may cause a limited increase in cases as days go by.
Health officials have confirmed that except for Vasco and Chimbel, where fresh cases continue to crop up but the surge is plateauing, all other areas have shown marked improvement. “Even in Vasco, cases are limited to Vaddem, New Vaddem and other areas where there is sizeable migrant population,” Dr Kalpana Mahatme said.
Other areas still of concern are Chimbel’s Indiranagar slum, the border area of Mapusa and Colvale, Candolim village in the Candolim primary health centre jurisdiction and some pockets of Merces, St Cruz and Taleigao, she added.
Mahatme said, dengue will now be on the decline and the strategy now would be to properly map the cases and conduct intensified campaigns in those areas where cases persist.
“We will continue to keep our guard as now with the monsoon retreating, construction activity will boom. In Porvorim, we have experienced cases around some construction sites,” Dr Mahatme said.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of dengue in September were 113, an overwhelming majority of them (100) in North Goa, Dr Mahatme said, adding that ‘suspected cases’ continue to pour in and there have been no cases of death due to the disease.
Even the 16 cases of death due to dengue reported by Goa Medical College (GMC) are being put through a death audit, the outcome of which will be available in the first week of November, she added.
